Holding Hands
It's funny, it's not uncommon for us to see two men holding hands walking down the street here. It's a sign of respect and friendship but is not associated with homosexuality at all! The country never fails to surprise you, every day there's something different.
Today I had a really good morning writing a summary of my trip so far for Nurture Africa, a far cry from construction, painting or gardening. It was needed after the weekend we had. The afternoon was totally different.
A few of us travelled out to a youth centre to give a basic first aid talk to some young women, most of whom are mothers. These women travel hours every morning to the youth centre and spend their day there. The aim is to help them potentially make a difference in the event of an injury, given that professional medical treatment may not be reachable or affordable for some.
Day 12
Home Visits
A five year old girl born into poverty, raised by her grandmother, her parents work 14 hours a day just to survive and send her to school, the family of six live in a home the size of the common living room.
But yet she smiles as she eats a plate of mtoki (Common banana based Ugandan dish), her school uniform is brand new and cherished, she loves school and wants to learn. A five year old girl born HIV positive and she doesn't even know it.
It was both heartbreaking and inspirational to finally go on home visits today, to meet people with HIV supported by Nurture Africa. It is eye opening, for the first time we've seen how some of poorest live and it's frightening. It's also inspiring, the strength of some of these women, the optimism and the gratitude they show is honestly heartwarming.
Day 13
Progress
The days are getting shorter, it seems like months since I've been in Ireland. I still can't believe I've only been here less than two weeks, we've done so much in such a short time. I'm starting to lose track of the time as we head into our final week.
Another morning's work on the construction site saw us continuing our work on the wall, slowly but steadily we're starting to see some progress. A spelling bee at Nurture Africa was a nice change in the afternoon as three schools came to compete. The intelligence of some involved is impressive, something so small and simple meant so much to them.
Day 14
Safari I
I've never seen anything like it, a hippo casually grazing just metres from us! Warthogs around us like dogs and baboons lurking around our campsite. We began our three day safari today and our campsite is surreal to say the least.
Sitting by the fire with the Nile in the distance is a highlight in itself. A six hour journey from Nansana was well worth the trip to Murchison Falls National Park where we finally get to experience the African wild first hand.
We stopped at a Rhino sanctuary on the way to see some of the eighteen rhinos left in Uganda. Coming metres away from wild white Rhinos is a far cry from a day at Dublin Zoo! There's no glass panel, no barriers and no protection. It gets the adrenaline going, it's the real thing.
An early start tomorrow will see us cross the Nile and explore the African Savannah before a boat trip up the Nile to see more hippos and crocodiles in front of Murchison Falls.
Day 15
Safari II
I have to admit it's one of the most beautiful sites I've had the pleasure of seeing, the Savannah. Untouched by humans, it's as close to nature as you can possibly get. Antelopes, Buffalo, Giraffes, elephants, monkeys, Hyenas and yes, Lions. The wild.
We had the opportunity of seeing all these animals just metres away! It's hard to put into words just how unique and incredible it really is, photographs do all the talking for something like this. There is no other word to use but surreal, a word I've used a lot here!
A cruise up the Nile made the day, I've said it before but it is unique and something I'm very lucky to have experienced twice now! The boat gave us a view of the waterfall from afar but tomorrow we will go to the top to really see it!